Picking up the pieces
by Totally Kowalski
Summary: Skipper has an accident, will the team ever be the same? thanks to halfhuman123 for giving me tips. Please Review. -T.K
1. SKIPPER!

It was a busy day at Central Park Zoo, New York, but now they were closing their gates until Monday. Spring settled beautifully on the fine Friday evening as the animals started to relax from a day of entertaining tourists.

In the Penguins' underground headquarters (HQ), the four penguins never relaxed, Kowalski, the tallest and smart one was in his lab working on his latest inventions that would be announced soon, Rico, the weapons expert and psycho was training with his fearless leader Skipper. Private, the shortest and youngest was sneaking into a hidden area behind his 1st prize plaque carrying a red box.

"Good golly!"Kowalski shouted suddenly, Skipper and Rico burst into the lab, ready to face danger.

Kowalski spun around to face his teammates, knocking over an empty beaker.

"Kowalski? You okay soldier?" Skipper asked, rolling his eyes.

"Oh sorry, I'm fine!" he laughed, "I've finished three inventions!"

"Good for you," Skipper said sarcastically, "What are they?"

"First off," Kowalski began, "here is a useful device I call, paper holder! Tired of mission files flying everywhere, well, no more with this metal device, it squeezes paper together, neat!"

"That's already been invented, it's a stapler." Skipper said.

Kowalski stared, disappointed, "Really?"

"Yes, show him Rico." Rico regurgitated a stapler and showed Kowalski.

Kowalski's beak dropped open in shock, Rico swallowed the stapler.

The tall penguin shook his head and continued.

"Ah, but I have another one!" Kowalski said, pulling out a piece of cardboard, "the place holder for-"

"Bookmark," Skipper interrupted, "and they make paper and plastic ones."

Rico giggled, Kowalski growled at him.

"Okay, but this will blow you away!" Kowalski said excitedly, "Annoying lemurs playing their stereo too loudly? Well, give them the transportable music player with headphones, they can even jog with it! What?"

Skipper shook his head "Humans invented it, they make a new one every month or so."

"It…but…I spent three months… I can't think of anything!" Kowalski shouted in despair "I have to invent something, It's not fair!"

He slapped his head and groaned, glaring harder at Rico.

"Keep your head up soldier and an idea will come, right boys?" Skipper said.

"Yup!" Rico said, Skipper waited for Private to agree, but there was silence.

"Private? Fall in soldier!" he ordered. No response came.

"I won't give up!" Kowalski said, "Where's Private?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Skipper muttered.

"Hello neighbors!" Julien shouted as he jumped into the HQ, swinging his tail everywhere.

Julien picked up Private's Lunacorn and started tossing it around to the annoyance of Skipper.

"Ringtail! I don't have time to play with lemurs, leave!" Skipper snapped

"That's King Ringtail"

Julien pulled himself into a dignified position, as dignified as he could while holding a purple unicorn doll.

"I will NEVER call you king, ever! We're looking for Private."

Julien glared at him.

"Eh, he didn't go bye-bye, I would have seen him from the royal throne."

A small noise interrupted their bickering, Rico slid over to Private's fish prize and tapped it, a small giggle came out. Hacking up a crowbar, he opened it. Private was sitting and hiccupping, candy wrappers surrounded him, he didn't seem to notice anyone.

"Mmm, peanut buttery" Julien said, licking a wrapper.

"Skipper." Kowalski said, pointing to a stack of Peanut butter Winky boxes.

Private began to vibrate.

"Fish and Chips, man! How many did you eat?" Skipper asked, Private giggled.

"Five whole boxes sir," Kowalski said, "I estimate his hyper sugar rush will overcome him in sixty seconds."

"In English Kowalski."

"Sugar rush in one minute, he will be hyper."

Private giggled louder and vibrated harder, Julien freaked out and left.

Skipper reached out a flipper to touch Private, then jumped back as the smaller one sprung to his feet.

"SUGAR!" Private yelled suddenly, then he began speaking fast. "Hi guys care for sugar? I love sugar, hahaha! I see unicorns, I love unicorns! I love unicorns! My name is Private, why is it private? Tell me your name please. Private. Stop saying that! But my name is Private! Fine, you don't want to tell me! I love penguins, hey I'm a penguin! AWESOME!"

Private zoomed around the zoo while the others tried to catch him. He messed up Joey's haystack, broke through Phil and Mason's chess game, ran over Mort, dove into Burt's peanuts, knocked Marlene into her pool slapped Kowalski, ran over Mort again, used Roy as a slide, woke Maurice from his nap, smashed a watermelon, and ran over Mort for the third time.

About an hour later, he bolted out of the zoo

"How long until the sugar wears off?" Skipper asked, clutching a stitch in his feathery chest.

"By this speed and amount of sugar, half an hour left. He should slow down in the last ten minutes." Kowalski panted.

Marlene the otter appeared, "Private just ran out of the zoo." She said.

"Thanks, Get him before he hurts himself!" they ran into the park, looking for the small one.

His loud giggling seemed to echo through the growing darkness of the park. Skipper searched the pond for Private with no luck. Kowalski searched in trees and under park benches, the only result he got was a bump on the head when Rico called out.

Rico who had been searching the perimeter of the Park, called to his teammates. He heard them arrive and pointed up, at a twenty story building.

Private was jumping around and laughing on the edge of the flat roof, until he lost his balance.

"Rico, trampoline!" Skipper ordered.

Rico got it just in time, Private bounced off and landed on Kowalski. Skipper helped him to his feet and stared at him.

Kowalski brushed off dirt from his feathers and looked at Private with concern.

"That was awesome! Do it again!" Private smiled, then he noticed Rico laughing,

Sudden realization hit Private like a hammer and he felt nauseous and horrified.

"We're going to the zoo, want to come?" Skipper asked.

For some strange reason, Skipper was calm when he should have been worried.

Rico was still laughing as he put away the trampoline, Kowalski felt a sensation of foreboding. Private stared at the ground sadly and Skipper took a few steps back into the street.

"Yeah, we should head back," Kowalski said, "wouldn't want anyone to- SKIPPER LOOK OUT!"

The warning came too late, the sound of traffic registered with them too late.

WHAM!

The metal screeched and groaned, Skipper screamed, pain coming from everywhere. A loud crack sounded and he was silent.

"SKIPPER!" Private screamed, terror tearing through his body.

"NO!" Rico yelled.

Kowalski thought fast, they managed to rush him to the zoo hospital, too horrified to speak. Images flashed in their heads, Skipper's breathing was ragged.

A squirrel that saw the events told Maurice who told the zoo.

No one slept happily that night, not even feet obsessed Mort. Marlene was devastated, she always had a small crush on Skipper and was pretty sure that no one knew.

The penguins didn't sleep much at all. Private shook, his sobs echoing in the HQ Private fell asleep at one in the morning, only to wake up an hour later from a nightmare.

"How can a nightmare be any scarier than what we've just seen?" Kowalski said hoarsely.

"Skipper bled in this one, and cried loudly," Private's voice was low too. "I miss him!" he burst into tears again.

"Why?" Rico croaked softly.

"It's my fault" Private sniffed.

"No, it's mine." Kowalski said, "I couldn't invent anything that works. I…wait…my invention…serum…I've got it! No one bother me!" He rushed to his lab.

Private fell asleep again and Rico put him in bed. Rico soon went to bed himself.


	2. Broken

Sorry for the wait: enjoy the long chapter

Chapter 2

Rico woke up six hours later, hoping everything had just been one big nightmare; his hopes were crushed when he saw Skipper's empty bunk. Realization struck him as the events came flooding back to him, Skipper's beaten body, blood spattered all over his chest, ragged breathing, Rico shook the memory away.

Looking for something to do, he wandered into Kowalski's lab and was surprised to find the tall penguin sitting and muttering under his breath. "Carry the two? No…it shouldn't be green." It was a pigsty: papers were scattered, test tubes spilling on the floor, empty soda bottles littered the ground, and then there was Kowalski. His eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles under them, his feathers were ruffled; he looked like he hadn't slept all night.

He slapped himself to stay awake and gave a start when he noticed Rico. "Good morning," he mumbled wearily, "didn't see you there." Rico gazed at him in concern, but Kowalski shook it off.

"I know I'm close to something." Kowalski slurred, "I'm fine Rico, honestly." He said, noting the concern on his friend's face.

Before Rico could respond, a scream shattered the melancholy mood. "Skipper! No…help me! Rico? Kowalski?" Private's yells echoed through the room.

Rico and Kowalski found Private awake and sweaty with terror, holding a pencil as a weapon, he was panting and his eyes were livid. "I want to see Skipper." He gasped.

No one argued, they made their way to the zoo's hospital and were accompanied by the lemurs and Marlene. Silence surrounded them as they walked the cobblestone ground of the zoo.

Kowalski couldn't remember a time when it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Julien's voice broke the silence, "I like Skipper, he's fun to annoy, like a brother." He said in a low whisper.

Kowalski felt the same way, but couldn't speak at the moment because he thought Private would cry again. Private and Rico felt the same too, they were all one big zoo family that cared for each other and annoyed each other too.

Private was scared of what he would see and that he would be to blame for everything.

"I brought a mango," Mort announced, "Will the penguin like it?"

Maurice smiled sadly, "I don't think he can eat this one, bring him one when he's all better."

"You mean **if** he gets better" Julien said.

Private stopped, everyone else glared at the lemur.

"Don't say that!" Private said angrily, "He **will** get better. I bet he'll be himself again in no time."

"You are just avoiding a sad fact my friend," Julien said, unaware of Private's increasing anger. "He could be too injured to be himself or you know…d-"

"Julien." Kowalski said warningly, Private was shaking now.

"What?" Julien snapped, "Your kingly king is just saying dat he could be d-aaah!"

He had been tackled to the ground by Private, his crown flew into Maurice.

"Don't say it! Don't you DARE!" Private yelled, "There is no sad fact! HE WILL BE FINE!"

Kowalski, Rico, and Marlene pulled Private off of Julien. Maurice gave the lemur his crown back and shot him a warning look that told him to be silent.

Private ran ahead, he felt bad about losing his temper, but Julien deserved it.

"FEEET!" Mort squealed, Julien yelled and kicked him, right through the open window of the animal hospital.

They heard Mort gasp loudly and jumped in after him. The little lemur, his eyes wide, pointed to a table in the corner of the room. A bed surrounded by machines and medicine indicated Skipper was in bad condition.

They approached his bed. Skipper was unconscious, but breathing.

"What is that?" Julien asked, pointing at the plastic around Skipper's beak.

"Oxygen mask," Kowalski answered, "delivers filtered oxygen to his brain and lungs."

"Eh, you lost me at oxagation thingy." Julien said, puzzled.

"Oxygen," Marlene corrected softly, "gives him clean air."

Maurice pointed to Julien's feet; Mort was hugging them. Julien almost kicked him out the window. The lemurs left after Julien threw Mort's mango out the window and complained about the feet touching.

Kowalski stared, never had he seen his leader broken, defeated. There were bruises on his stomach and neck, his flipper, feet, and head were heavily bandaged. He put a gentle flipper on Skipper's, feeling the broken bone. Kowalski eyed the machines, not fully trusting human medicine.

Kowalski broke. He cried for his leader, his best friend, the one who always encouraged him, who brought the team together. Rico was stunned, Kowalski usually held himself well, not betraying a single tear. Not today though, Private and Marlene burst into tears as well, hugging each other.

"Skipper?" Private said shakily, "S-skipper, wake up. You-you said you'd tr-train with me today."

Footsteps were heard, Marlene left, but Private stayed. Rico and Kowalski waited on the window-sill for him, he didn't move.

"Private, come on!" Kowalski begged.

"No, I won't leave him!" Private replied.

"We're going to be caught if you don't move!"

"I don't care."

"Skipper would. How would you explain your presence?"

"I-"

"You can't. What would happen if they found you?"

"We could be compromised and…they would think we hurt him."

They managed to hide outside just as the door opened. They stood on top of each other so they could see what was happening. Rico stood on a small chair he regurgitated, Private climbed on top of him, and Kowalski was at the top. He saw two doctors changing Skipper's bandages, talking in low voices.

The older doctor said that he thought it was highly unlikely that Skipper would survive, and then they discussed how the penguin could have gotten hurt; Private groaned when the younger doctor said that the others could have done it. Then a nurse came in with a tray of medicine.

"The rumor about what happened is that it could have been the food truck." She said, "He could have climbed in, gotten stuck, freed himself, then he was hit on his way home."

"Well, how did he come back, magic?" the younger doctor asked.

"No," the nurse said in an annoyed tone, "It was probably someone who was afraid of being seen with an injured zoo animal."

At that point, the stool broke and the penguins tumbled down on each other. They hurried back to HQ. Kowalski recalled what he heard and went back in his lab. That evening, in the souvenir shop, Private told the zoo what Kowalski heard.

"Eh, where is he?" Julien asked.

"In his lab," Private sighed, "I'm worried about him."

They had obviously forgotten about their fight from earlier, Maurice and Rico were glad about that.

Private and Rico trained a little before going to bed. Kowalski was getting closer to results than he thought. He was still unaware of his friends' increasing concern for him; he was the only one, besides nocturnal animals, awake in the zoo that night.

Rico and Private woke up the next morning to find Kowalski's bunk empty.

"Up all night again?" Private said sadly, "Rico, are you as worried as I am?"

Rico nodded and babbled something.

"What? He hasn't slept for two days?" Private asked, shocked.

"Uh-uh." Rico replied.

"Oh dear."

They waited for Kowalski to come out so they could visit Skipper together, but he didn't come out. Kowalski said he wouldn't come out until his experiment was complete and that they could visit Skipper without him.

Marlene and the lemurs were already at the hospital when the two penguins arrived.

"Where's Smarty Booty?" Julien asked.

Rico rolled his eyes, Private sighed, "In his lab, he's been awake since Friday morning. He was in his lab all night; I'm worried about him." Private trembled and moved his gaze to Skipper. "Oh, it's all my fault!"

""No Private, I don't think that it's your fault." Marlene consoled, "Skipper wouldn't blame you."

"How do you know?" Private demanded, "Marlene, if I didn't go all sugar crazy then Skipper would be fine."

"Sugar crazy?" Julien said, "Oh, then yes, it is all your fault."

"Julien!" "Your Highness!" Marlene and Maurice shouted at the same time.

Rico regurgitated a hammer and growled at the tall lemur.

"Wait! I can ask the sky spirits to forgive you." Julien said, nervously eyeing the hammer.

"Sky Spirits!" Mort squealed happily

"Sky spirits want you to GET OFF THE FEET!" Julien snapped at him. Rico swallowed his hammer and rolled his eyes again.

Private ignored the lemurs and stared at Skipper, he felt guilty about what happened.

"The sky spirits may forgive me, but I won't because I know I'm responsible." He whispered.

The lemurs went back to their habitat because Julien and Mort were making a big commotion again. Marlene stayed for another hour before she left. Private still felt guilty and Rico couldn't cheer him up.

The quiet was disturbed by laughing, but it wasn't normal. It was the kind of laugh that made one think you were insane. It was Kowalski.

"I've done it!" Kowalski said, still laughing crazily, "Out of my way, Skipper's going to be okay!"

He pushed the other two away, jumped on Skipper's bed and began pulling all the machines away from him, including the oxygen tank.

"Kowalski, no!" Private said, "You're not in your right mind, those are helping him!"

"No, this will!" Kowalski giggled maniacally, he was holding a test tube with dark purple liquid in it. He opened Skipper's beak and poured it in. Skipper started choking, and then he swallowed.

"Kowalski, what did you do?" Private asked; he was worried about Skipper and Kowalski's sanity.

"I saved him." Kowalski answered, swaying on his feet, "I…he…Skip…ughh."

Kowalski fell down, he was asleep now. Rico took Kowalski to bed while Private checked on Skipper, making sure he was okay. Private was about to leave when he heard a groan. He looked back, hoping it was Skipper, and it was. His beak was still open and another faint groan came out of it. His foot twitched and he was still. Private was happy that Skipper could move and make noise again.

The penguins spent the next few days taking care of Kowalski, plus the zoo was open so they were busy.

Thursday evening came quickly and the three penguins were planning on visiting Skipper again. They heard that he was moving and drinking water again; he had also been opening his eyes, but only for a few seconds at a time.

They were ready to go when Julien came rushing in, followed by Mort and Maurice.

"What is it?" Private asked.

"Skipper…he's being…moved." Julien panted.

"What do you mean?" Kowalski inquired.

"I was hearing de doctor saying they are putting him in an animal care place until he is feeling all better. It's on de other side of the city." Julien explained.

The penguins stared at each other, Private was sad again.

"We're going to see him, we have a car." Kowalski said brightly, Private looked at him in disbelief. "Don't worry, I've made changes and improvements." The taller penguin said proudly.

"Oh, wow! Do you think it will work?" Private asked, Rico grunted happily.

"No, I **know** it will work. You just leave all the worrying to me boys." Kowalski replied, "I'll be sure to have it ready by tomorrow night, we leave on Saturday."

The plan was set in motion. Kowalski spent Friday working on the car; they were excited to get on the road. They also relied on the other zoo animals to keep the zookeepers from noticing their absence. Rico and Kowalski slept well on Friday night, knowing they would see Skipper very soon. Private, however, was guilt-ridden and scared that he would be punished for breaking his leader.

**Whoa, what will happen next? Stay tuned to find out. Please review, Thanks -T.K**

**?**- Hey, when do I come in?

_**T.K- next chapter, now shush.**_


	3. Seemingly peaceful

This chapter is about Skipper's thoughts from the Penguins' last visit to the end of the last chapter. His thoughts will be in italics. I do own the twelve random animals that show up later.

Chapter 3 

**Sunday**

_Dizzy, shadows and voices, ugh, what's going on?_ Skipper thought. He knew his whole body hurt, he just didn't know why. _Who am I? Where am I?_

The first thing he felt was his body shaking; something wet on his tongue made him shake, unable to breathe, yet when he swallowed it, he felt good. _Swallowed, was I coughing? Why? Who am I? Somebody help me._

He saw these big, dark, shadowy figures, he didn't know what they were and it scared him. They spoke to him, but they didn't hear him groan. He was confused, then he remembered a word for them, these were humans. He heard a human say 'penguin', maybe he was a penguin. That still didn't answer all his questions. He knew what he was, but he didn't know who he was or why he was there. _Where am I?_

**Thursday**

He woke up because of the pain; he felt several fractured flipper bones and a few broken ribs. He felt someone pick him up. _Ouch! Where are they taking me? _Someone put him in a cage. _Am I in trouble? What did I do? I need answers!_ His mind was full of questions and thoughts. He heard a voice singing from far away, it was coming closer; and then it shouted something about feet. Skipper thought that was funny, he wanted to hear more but the doctor spoke again and Julien's voice was quiet.

_No, come back voice. What's going on?_ Skipper thought, He was put into a truck. _Dizzy again, it's dark, but the sun's ou-Argh!_ The pain made him blackout again.

When Skipper came around again, he discovered that he was lying down on a bed; he felt less dizzy and could see clearly. He was surrounded by medical machines; this was definitely not the first place he woke up in. He noted his heavily bandaged flipper and head; he then discovered that he had scars on his feathery stomach.

_I don't know where or who I am._ Skipper thought, _I know I'm not a baby._ He paused for a minute. _I know! I have amnesia, I mean, I know nothing about myself. Yup, that would explain it…I hope someone is looking for me._ He sighed and winced at the pain, which was decreasing faster than it should be under normal circumstances.

His hopes were answered. Miles across NYC, three penguins were about to make their way to him in thirty-six hours. It was eight o'clock Thursday night; Kowalski planned to leave at eight o'clock Saturday morning. But Skipper didn't know this; he didn't even know he was Skipper.

The next day around four o'clock in the afternoon, Skipper was put outside with the other animals. He slowly started walking, the pain shooting through his half mended feet. He was quite pleased with himself, until he lost his balance and fell into a small pond.

"Ah! He-help! I can't swim!" He spluttered, splashing his flippers wildly.

To his horror, he began to sink; and when he thought for sure he would be a goner, a furry paw shot out and pulled him out of the water.

He landed, soaked and panting on the grassy bank; then a voice spoke from above.

A small black and white bear was laughing, "Dude, epic fail." He said.

"Thank…you…" He gasped, clutching his feathery stomach in pain.

The panda gaped at him, "Whoa, you were serious about not being able to swim?" he said in a concerned tone.

Skipper nodded, "Really, uhh… who are you?"

"My name is Oreo, I'm a panda." He said proudly, "You, my friend, are a penguin. Did you know they're aquatic avian?"

"English, please." Skipper said with a strange feeling that he'd said that before to someone.

"Sorry, you're a bird that can swim instead of fly. So, what's your name?" Oreo asked, flashing a friendly smile at the penguin.

"I don't know. I woke up yesterday knowing nothing; I think I have amnesia." Skipper told him.

Oreo thought deeply, and then he smiled again, "Let's ask Joe, he's a wise turtle," the panda said, dragging Skipper with him, "he might know your past."

The penguin and the panda slowly made their way to the turtle on the other side of the pond; along the way, Oreo showed Skipper the other animals around the large enclosure.

Miles the peacock smiled as his best friend walked by. Oscar, a paranoid baby deer, peeked at them from behind a tree. Speedy the sloth waved lazily from the tree branch. Arthur, a father duck was cleaning his young son, Peter. Sharky the brown bear and Tyler the black bear seemed to be the most avoided. The bears stared at the newcomer, evil grins formed on their faces. Steve the beaver and his older brother, Mac, were okay if you didn't bother them. The number one rule, Oreo mentioned, was that you never call the younger one Stevie or he bites ("No one really knows why." Oreo whispered).

Oreo finished just as they reached Joe and his sleeping granddaughter, Lucy.

Skipper was amazed, "Wow, I've learned so much." His deep voice woke Lucy; she crawled closer to the pond and resumed her nap.

Oreo was practically jumping with excitement, "Hey, Lucy! Hi, Joe!"

The turtle turned his wrinkled, worn face to Skipper, "Why, hello there! Who might you be?"

Skipper blushed; he was too shy to say that he had amnesia so he stayed silent. Once Oreo understood the problem, he told Joe, "And we were hoping you could tell us about him."

He let out a deep chuckle, "Oreo," He said, "I'm wise, not psychic."

Oreo was disappointed; then Skipper finally told the old turtle everything he remembered from coughing on and swallowing an odd liquid to meeting Oreo on the other side of the pond. Joe listened to the story and suggested that Skipper should rest before figuring out who he was.

Oreo showed Skipper an old shed, hidden behind the trees, which he and his friends played in. He brought Miles and Oscar over to chat and play games until bedtime. Skipper learned that Oreo and Miles were bought as circus animals and abandoned in a junkyard when they were newborns; Oscar seemed reluctant, but he said that he and his mother were attacked by vicious bears when he was a year old and that was why he didn't trust the panda at first.

The four of them became tired and drifted off to sleep. Skipper rested calmly, unlike another, shorter penguin miles across town who was suffering from a terrible nightmare.

_Gasp! What kind of nightmare is it? Who's having it? Will Skipper ever be okay? Why am I asking YOU all these questions?_

_Sorry about the suspense and shortness of the chapter, I-_

**Julien: Hey, check out my cool kingliness yo!**

_T.K: Wha-? Why are you here? You're not even in this chapter or the next!_

Julien: but I am menti-mmph!

_T.K: SHH!_

**Julien: bleh! Your hand does NOT taste royal.**

_T.K:…O.o…no comment_.

_I won't be able to update until after the Thanksgiving holiday, see you later! -T.K_ **(who loves King Julien!)** _Julien! OFF MY KEYBOARD!_

_The characters I threw in here will not be related to my eventual other stories._

**Unless she's being one of those one hitting wonderers.**

_First off, it's one hit wonder, and second…_

*Rico hacks up a crowbar; Julien runs, screaming.


	4. Reasonably Suspicious

No worries people, I am alive! Long story short, Thanksgiving, power outage (No internet), then I got sick. Anyways, the show must go on! Here you go- T.K. (also, in this chapter I will be doing different points of view, read and review please)

Caution: may be a bit strong for young readers and sad for those who love Skipper, Don't hate me, I love Skipper too.

Chapter 4:

"No…" Private moaned, tossing and turning under his blanket.

_CRASH!_

He was seeing Skipper in slow motion, reliving the crash, seeing the leader bounced and pummeled by tires; he was hearing the banging metal and seeing feathers fly everywhere.

"_It s all your fault"_ Julien's voice rang out eerily in the semi darkness.

Private twisted and turned even more frantically, he wanted to scream.

Quite suddenly, he found himself waddling down a long hallway with dark red spots on the floor; then he heard the grind of metal behind him. He slid away on his belly before realizing what the spots were. He gasped and looked around wildly until he came face to face with Skipper.

Looking like something out of a horror movie, the beaten and bleeding penguin stared icily at Private.

The grind of a truck became louder and louder; they looked up to see the driver.

"Kowalski? Rico?" Private squeaked; he was terrified now.

"It's entirely your fault." Skipper growled harshly, his eyes gleaming red. "They're evening the score."

"No! NOOO!" Private screamed,

SLAP! SLAP!

Skipper was hitting him; the truck came closer at full speed. SLAP! The truck was one foot away.

"Ahh!" Private screamed…blackout

**Private's POV**

I gasped and my eyes swung open, Kowalski and Rico stood next to me looking worried. Kowalski lowered his flipper; I now knew who slapped me awake. My face hurt and I felt sweaty. That dream scared me out of my feathers.

"Private, are you alright?" Kowalski asked.

"Yes, no worries!" I said shakily. I tried to smile, but I knew my lie couldn't convince him.

"No, you're livid with terror and shaking like a leaf." He said, "You can't fool me, I know you too well."

"I'm sorry." I whispered solemnly.

"I know what you're thinking," he said, "It's not your fault. If you don't believe me, then ask Skipper when we see him, we leave in two hours. Go wash up and have breakfast."

"If we see him." I said, remembering Julien's words.

"No, that's enough! Stop crying and go wash yourself Private." Kowalski ordered, "Now!"

I jumped and ran to the bathroom. Kowalski never yelled at me before, but he had a point; I decided to try and stop blaming myself. I still cried into the sink before my shower. None of them knew there is a raging storm of guilt inside me.

**Kowalski's POV**

It hurt me to yell at Private, but I was tired of him blaming himself for the accident, Rico was making sure we had all the supplies ready and stored in his gut. I performed last minute inspections on the remodeled car, making sure we had a safe trip. I also made a map showing the path we could take without drawing too much attention.

Finally I heard the shower turn on, I was worried about Private. He came out an hour later and had breakfast with us, he was very quiet. I sighed and walked over to him.

"We leave in half an hour, you ready?"

He nodded silently, avoiding my eyes.

"Rico, is everything ready?" I asked.

"Yup!" he smiled.

"Great, I need to make sure everyone is prepared to hide our disappearance."

And with that, I was off.

**3****rd**** person POV**

Rico swallowed a crowbar, in case they needed to bust him out of a box or fight for him. He was worried about Private, noticing that the penguin was crying. He decided not to tell Kowalski. Rico walked over to the youngest and patted his back.

Kowalski returned with a smile on his beak.

"All ready?" Kowalski asked.

"Yup!" Rico replied

"Aye Aye, Skippa!" Private said, realizing his mistake, "I-I mean, Kowalski."

"It's okay, let's go!" Kowalski said, leading the way to the car, followed by the other two.

The three penguins hopped into their car and began their trip, knowing it would be a long one. Rico stepped on the gas pedal and left the zoo with Kowalski next to him and Private in the back seat.

The wind blowing on their feathers combined with the sun's heat kept them warm. Kowalski was talking to himself and writing scientific calculations on his clipboard which was always handy.

Rico began to feel tired and switched places with Kowalski who knew the map well; Private had fallen asleep half an hour earlier.

"We're about half of the way there." Kowalski announced, his voice waking up Private.

"That's great." Private mumbled, stretching out and yawning.

Then the car sputtered to a stop. Kowalski checked the gas level; it was empty. Luckily Rico brought a big container of gasoline and poured it into the car.

When it was filled, Private decided to drive for the last mile. Kowalski sat next to him and Rico was in the back looking through a magazine about explosives.

Private still felt guilt even though Kowalski told him to stop blaming himself. He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the turn. He twisted the steering wheel and the car made a sharp squealing noise as it turned.

"Private, pay attention!" Kowalski shouted

"Sorry, sir." Private gasped.

They weren't the only ones who heard the squeal; four blocks away, the animals at the Animal Care Clinic heard it too.

** At the Animal Care Clinic **

Sharky had been planning something wicked ever since Skipper arrived. He enjoyed making the penguin do silly jobs for him when Oreo wasn't around. Sharky told Tyler, Mac, and Stevie his plan.

Early in the morning, Sharky, accompanied by Tyler, approached Skipper. The penguin was alone at the moment. Oreo and Miles were going through their checkups, Lucy was relaxing in the sun, the ducks were swimming in the deep end of the pond, and Speedy was too tired to play. Oscar, however, was nearby and had a paranoid eye on the two bears approaching the penguin with amnesia.

"Hello, penguin." Sharky said with a sly grin.

"Hi!" Skipper chirped, attempting to stand on his head, "Oreo and Miles aren't here."

"I see, well I came…um," Sharky said, with an air of being troubled.

"Oh, just tell him!" Tyler sobbed dramatically.

Skipper plopped on his stomach and stood up, brushing the dirt off his feathers. "What's wrong?" Skipper asked, the smile fading from his face like melted butter.

"Well," Sharky began, "I heard the vet talking about you; it seems that the penguins at your old home are much happier without you. The other penguins might have hurt you and caused you to have amnesia and injuries."

"Oh, we're so sorry!" Tyler cried.

Oscar was about to come over and say something, but Tyler silently snarled, showing his sharp teeth. Oscar ran to the other side of the pond; Skipper was too depressed to notice any of this. Sharky and Tyler left Skipper to his thoughts, laughing silently.

"Hi, pal!" Oreo shouted as he ran up to Skipper with Miles behind him. "I'm back! How's the head- hey buddy, what's up?"

"I'll never forgive them." Skipper muttered, trembling.

"Who?" Miles asked, skidding to a stop next to Oreo.

"I found out that the other penguins did this to me and they don't want me back." Skipper replied angrily, hot tears spilling out of his eyes.

Miles and Oreo gasped. "Don't worry bud, we're your friends and we accept you here." The panda consoled. "It's okay to cry." The peacock said, shuffling his colorful tail.

Skipper was about to respond when they heard the loud squeal of a tire turning sharply. The boys jumped and ran into a shed.

**Skipper's POV**

I couldn't believe my ear holes, but the bears can't be lying, can they?

I barely heard what Oreo and Miles were saying; I was so mad.

A tire squealed, I wonder why. I'm getting tired…yawn. What would I do if the other penguins showed up? I don't think they will.

And with that, Skipper fell asleep while Oreo and Miles stood outside, playing.

/

_**Author's note:**__ Prepare for the insanity that awaits you next chapter! (Chapter 5 will mark the end of this epic tale.)_

_Thank you for reading, and please review._

_If you have any questions, comments, concerns, and/or suggestions, feel free to PM me or leave a note in a review- T.K_


	5. Friends stand united

_Okay, the moment you have all been waiting for… Thanks to all who reviewed and read this story. In almost the words of J.K Rowling: "I now present the fifth and final installment in the epic tale of 'Picking up the Pieces'"- T.K_.

**Chapter 5**

As silent as the shadows, three penguins slipped over the fence and into a tree. They all knew where they were and why they came.

"Hi!" a voice shot out, interrupting the concentrated birds.

"Ahh!" _THUD_. The trio fell out of the tree; Kowalski stood up and rubbed his sore beak, Rico heaved Private off of him and turned to stare at the sloth.

"Sorry," Speedy said, clearly trying not to laugh, "You woke me from my nap."

"Oh dear, we're terribly sorry," Private chirped in his adorable British accent, "Please do forgive us."

Speedy was too lazy to hold a grudge, "That's okay, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Looking for our friend, Skipper." Kowalski said.

Speedy snorted with laughter and plopped out of the tree, clutching his sides and shaking. He stopped laughing when he saw their expressions. Kowalski's said _'not amused'_. Private's was anxious and a little offended. Rico's plainly said _'I have a chainsaw and I'm not afraid to use it'_.

"Sorry," the sloth said, still pink from laughter, "I don't know anyone named Skipper." Private's face fell. "But, there is a penguin here. He has a flat head and is a little chubby, I didn't catch his name."

"Kowalski, I think it's him!" Private shouted happily, bouncing on his orange feet.

"Let's ask around for him." Kowalski said, looking back at the confusing sloth.

The trio split up and asked around for Skipper. Private approached the two beavers who were chewing on wood. The brothers smiled evilly as they saw the young penguin approach.

"'Ello!" Private said cheerfully, "Have you seen a penguin?"

"No penguin, I don't even know what a penguin is, Mr. Penguin." Mac told him.

Private was stumped. "That's the craziest thing I've heard since Julien let a gecko rule Madagascar, it's name was Stevie, a color- OW! Why did you bite me?"

Steve growled, "Because, you said Stevie." He cackled.

Private whimpered and ran to Rico. Rico was about to cough up a flamethrower, but Private stopped him.

Meanwhile, Kowalski approached the two large bears cautiously, noting an odd sense of foreboding. He stated that he was searching for his friend and described Skipper in non-classified detail.

"Sorry," Tyler said, "There are no penguins here besides you three."

Kowalski doubted their honesty, he backed away. He told Rico about his feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong and the clear sky mocked his feelings. The three penguins walked towards the small shed where Oreo was sitting. Oreo tensed, he knew they had come for his friend and he wasn't about to give up.

Kowalski noticed the panda's body language and concluded two things; 1. Skipper was in the shed, and 2. The panda wasn't going down without a fight.

"I know why you're here," Oreo said, trying to stop shaking with fear and anger, "I won't let you come in."

"Please, we have to see him." Private squeaked, his eyes sparkling with tears. The panda was startled.

"Listen," Kowalski said firmly, "stand down, we don't want to hurt you."

Oreo trembled again, "Oh, yeah right!" he said sarcastically.

"We can do this the easy way, or we can do it Rico's way." Kowalski told him. Rico coughed up a crowbar and a baseball bat.

Miles came to Oreo's side, "No!" he said, "We won't let you hurt him again!"

_Again?_ Kowalski wondered, _what's been going on?_

Skipper was awake now, listening to the argument outside.

Private sighed tearfully, "He's right, it's my fault." SLAP!

Kowalski towered over him, his eyes cold with anger and frustration. "I have had ENOUGH!" he growled harshly, "We've already established that it WASN'T your fault! Why do you-"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Private shot back, causing Oreo and Miles to jump. "I've been having nightmares, I just want Skipper back. These aren't regular nightmares, they're pure EVIL. In every one, Skipper is bleeding, beaten, and seeking revenge, and you two help him. I can never look at him the same again. He's my leader, like a-a father to m-me and… I c-can't imagine…w-without him…" Hot tears spilled out of his eyes as he glared at Kowalski.

The tall penguin was stunned; he had never seen Private like this. He was always the calm one. Kowalski stared down at Private with, not pity or anger, but admiration…admiration at the younger one's courage to stand up to others.

Kowalski smiled sadly and embraced Private like a brother, and whispered, "I do understand."

Oreo realized that the penguins were a family and they wouldn't hurt each other. He met Kowalski's eyes and both apologized at the same time.

Skipper sighed and pulled open the door, he was ready to come home. "I'm sorry too."

"Skipper!" Private squealed, zooming to give the leader a big hug.

"Okay, ow, too tight." Skipper said, "Calm down little guy."

Kowalski knew there was something wrong from the start, but what? This was Skipper, yet it wasn't. Rico was watching the two suspicious bears who were whispering to each other.

Private backed up, his tear swollen blue eyes grew wide "Little guy?" he whispered, "B-but Ski-Skipper, y-you always called me Private o-or sol-soldier."

"Who's Private?" Skipper asked, Kowalski gasped. Rico groaned, "Uh-oh." He grunted.

"W-what? But…h-how could you forget me?" Private said, he was crying again. Kowalski was surprised that there were any tears left.

Kowalski studied Skipper carefully before coming to a conclusion. "Amnesia."

"Who?" Rico asked.

"Not who, what. Memory loss, he doesn't know anything. Worst case I've seen." He looked over at Private who gasped; he seemed to finally be out of tears.

Private let out a dry sob and ran to the pond.

Kowalski wanted to run after him, but was held back by Skipper.

"I'll talk to him."

Rico coughed up a half loaf of bread and gave it to Skipper.

Skipper smiled, "I won't say where it came from." He said, not knowing that it was normal for the lovably psychotic penguin.

Private stood on the edge of the bank, looking at Arthur the duck and his young son, Peter. He heard Skipper coming. Private reminded him of the team of commando penguins at Central Park Zoo who were like brothers. Skipper handed him a chunk of bread, ripped off a tiny piece and threw it in the water. Private threw a piece into the water and watched Peter snap at it, trying to gobble it up while his father laughed.

Skipper felt odd, as if he had something to do with the duckling or another duckling. Then it hit him. "Eggy." He said subconsciously.

Private's heart leapt, _could it possible that he remembered?_ He stared at the leader who had a concentrated look on his face.

"The name came to me," Skipper said, "I'm sure it has something to do with a duckling, right? Do I know Eggy, and how do I know him?"

Private nodded and explained that Eggy was a duck that Marlene found as an egg and the penguins took care of him until he hatched. "Julien had taken the egg and called him J.J the lemur egg. But we saved Eggy and you were proud of me for preventing him from being run over by a popcorn cart." He concluded.

Skipper tried to imagine everything that Private said, but couldn't figure out who Marlene and Julien were.

Private said that Marlene is their otter friend and neighbor. Julien is a self proclaimed king of the lemurs with Maurice and Mort as his 'loyal subjects'. Also, Mort, for a strange reason, likes to touch Julien's feet and it drives him crazy. "They love to party all night and drive us to insanity. You usually call Julien 'Ringtail' and Mort 'Sad-Eyes'."

"I must have heard Julien singing that day I left to come here." Skipper said.

"Probably so," Private said excitedly, "I'm so happy you're remembering these things."

"Happy so you can hurt him again?" A voice growled from behind them, it was Sharky. Across the pond, Tyler approached Oreo, Miles, Kowalski, and Rico.

"You scared us," Skipper said nervously, "and Private wouldn't hurt me."

Sharky laughed harshly, "Private? That's a dumb name. What's your real name?"

"Classified!" Private said, glaring at the larger animal. "Skipper is the only one who knows that!"

"Skipper? What kind of name is that?"

"The leader's name!"

"How, may I ask, did he get amnesia and injuries?"

"You may not ask!"

Sharky roared and swung his claws at Private. Skipper jumped in the way and fell to the ground, bleeding. Across the pond, Tyler was attacking the others.

"Operation: Self Defense!" Kowalski hollered, he rushed to Private's aid. Sharky aimed a bite at Kowalski, but the penguin was too quick and smacked the bear's nose.

It was chaos when the beavers joined the fight, biting ankles and throwing wood. Tyler chased Oreo and Miles to the other side of the pond where they joined Private. Rico had nun-chucks out and swung them at the beavers.

No one noticed old Joe limping hurriedly towards the battle. "I've seen enough fighting in my lifetime, so stop!" He yelled in a hoarse voice.

"How old are you?" Oreo asked loudly.

"Old enough to know better, too young to care." Joe replied, coming to a stop behind Kowalski. "I was born in the same year as Ike."

"Who?" Everyone shouted.

Joe sighed and rolled his eyes, but it was Kowalski who answered. "Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States. Born October 1890, died March 1969 at age 79. President from 1953-1961, previously Commander of U.S. forces in Europe during World War II, a-WHOA!"

Sharky's claw missed Kowalski by inches and hit Joe instead. Joe was slammed into the ground, hard. Skipper let out a squawk loud enough to gain the attention of the workers. The doctors rushed outside and knocked the bears out with blow dart needles. Kowalski, Rico, and Private hid in the shed until the humans were gone with the two large bears.

All of the animals gathered around Joe who was lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

Lucy climbed to her grandfather's side, "Grandfather?" Lucy whispered, then shouted with tears in her eyes, "Grandfather! Don't go, please, get up."

He met her eyes and she knew that it was hopeless. Speedy held the trembling Lucy. Oscar, Miles, and Oreo shouted protests, but the 120 year old turtle shook his head.

The father duck approached him, "Joseph, I-I don't know what to say."

"A-Arthur." Joe groaned. "Promise, promise you'll take care of Lucy." The duck nodded and Joe continued. "Lucy, my granddaughter, I have taught you so much. My wisdom is yours." His voice grew softer. "I am glad to have known you all. Oreo, I hope you find a good home. I…I sh-shall…miss…all…" his voice trailed off and he was still.

Rico and Kowalski were the only ones who didn't cry, but all were sad. Speedy hugged Lucy who was crying the hardest. Oreo, Miles, and Oscar were holding each other. Skipper patted Private on the back.

All too soon it was time for the penguins to return home; Skipper would come back Monday.

Sunday was spent mourning the loss of Joe, the wisest turtle they knew. The bears were shipped away and the beavers apologized for being part of Sharky's plan.

On the way back to the zoo, Kowalski recited the rest of the information about Eisenhower; Rico and Private fell asleep of course. Kowalski laughed to himself. _Skipper seems to be recovering._ He thought. _Now it's up to us to pick up the pieces of his memory_.

Monday came and went quickly, and at closing time, Alice the zookeeper came by with a cage. Skipper was back. Word traveled around the zoo and the gloomy atmosphere broke into cheers of relief and joy.

Marlene came by and gave him a hug. Skipper blushed; he didn't want to tell her that he didn't remember her. She seems nice and pretty. Julien bounded in, dropping a banana peel on the ground, and announced that the welcome back party would commence.

Julien's party lasted until midnight. The lemurs danced and even got Kowalski and Private to sing. The tired party penguins headed home. Suddenly, Skipper slipped on the forgotten banana peel and spun out of control and…WHAM!

His head smacked right into a brick wall. The other three gasped in horror and whisked him to the vet.

**Later that night:**

_Ow, what happened to me? What the deuce?_ Skipper thought, _Wait a minute! I know this place…smoked salmon, my memory is back! Ha ha, the Skipper returns! Did I really feel that way about Marlene? No…it was probably my wild imagination. _His head pounded as he remembered the events of the past few days. _Private, don't blame yourself, I don't blame you at all_.

The doctor brought Skipper back to the habitat the next day at closing time, the penguin spied on the other three. The boys smiled and waved sadly, it looked like they forgot their cute and cuddly today.

Skipper stood on the rail surrounding the habitat. The golden sun hit him at the perfect angle, he was glowing.

"Look alive, men!" he announced, the others spun around and stared at him. They uttered cries of joy. Skipper jumped down next to Private who gave him a big hug.

Skipper grunted, and then chuckled. "At ease, soldier." He said, Private loosened his grip, but still hugged the leader, "Also, don't blame yourself. I'm the leader; I should have had my paranoia cap on, not my relaxation."

Everyone laughed, Skipper entered HQ. He hadn't been down there in a while. Kowalski made fish coffee for Skipper and Private hugged him some more. Rico brought Marlene over to celebrate. When Skipper saw her, he blushed and spilled coffee on himself. Kowalski was the only one who saw Skipper's pink face under the bright white feathers.

**End of T.K's marvelous first story**

_**Author's note**__: Awwww…what an ending! So, please review and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. - T.K_

_Julien: Eh, the ending was predictable._

_T.K: You already knew the ending._

Marshal: I liked the part where Kowalski was insane.

_T.K.: What the-? Hey! You belong in Ponytail's head, not mine!_

Athena: MARSHAL! I- wait, we are from a different universe, so…

_AAH! UNIVERSES COLLIDING!_ **KA-BOOOM!**

_I do not own the minis. And, I think you might know already, but in case you do not: I do NOT own Eisenhower, and if you think I do, then I suggest going to the doctor._

_Also, I said I wouldn't write about the random characters I threw in, but if anyone wants stories about Oreo, Miles, Oscar, or Speedy, I will see what I can do - T.K._


	6. Epilogue- One year later

**I know I said last chapter was the end, but I wanted to put an epilogue to tell what happened through letters.**

Epilogue- one year later

Dear Skipper and team,

Hey! It's me, Oreo. How are you doing? A lot has happened in the year since we met you. I have a piece of bad news as well as good news. The bad news is that Mac got really sick about two months after you left and he didn't make it. I think it was kidney failure. The doctors tried to give him one of Steve's, but by the time they got ready, Mac had passed on. A few weeks after that, Steve was transferred to an Aquarium in Long Beach. I guess they were looking for beavers.

I'm writing to you from Virginia. Yeah, that's right, I GOT ADOPTED! I'm so happy! It happened three months ago and we're sort of settled in. And would you believe my luck? Miles and Oscar are here too! Apparently they had to put down their panda, I feel bad about that, because it was sick and then I was here. Did you know that Oscar was actually a Gerenuk? Everyone except me did…I thought he was a deer. Anyway, he's getting loads better at self confidence because the other two Gerenuks are females. He thinks he should be a strong leader so he's trying to be brave…until I scared the pee out of him. There are a lot of peacocks here, and Miles needed more interaction with them so they brought him here. He has a great role model in one of the older peacocks; but for me, Joe will always be my role model.

Speaking of Joe, his granddaughter Lucy is here too. The humans let me bring her when they realized I wouldn't go without her. She lives at the pond in my habitat. Speaking of ponds, Arthur and Peter are here too. If you don't remember, they're the ducks, and they're nearby. Almost all of us are together again. Speedy is at an animal reservation park, but I don't know which one because I was transferred before him. He said he'd try to keep in contact, but I don't think he wants to get off any tree branches. So, how are all of you doing? I hope to hear from you soon, I have to go because I snuck in here to send you the email.

From,

Oreo and friends

…Email sent, have a nice day :)

The panda smiled and returned to his habitat.

In New York, a certain pair of chimps printed out the email and delivered it to the penguins. After setting off a diversion, a penguin typed out his response before Alice came back.

Dear Oreo and friends,

Hello, this is Kowalski responding. I know you expected Skipper, but he's temporarily unavailable. Rico's keeping guard so I have to type fast. First, sorry about Mac; I hope Steve's finding good friends at the aquarium.

Skipper wants me to congratulate you all on getting adopted into the zoo. Though it's not this one, I hope you stay together for a long time. As for Oscar, I had a hunch he wasn't exactly a deer, but at the moment it wasn't a good time to bring it up. We're glad he's not that paranoid anymore, though Skipper says paranoia is good to have. I researched Speedy and discovered he's in Georgia.

A lot has happened here as well, and that's the part I was concerned about getting to. Whatever concoction I made Skipper drink helped him, but it didn't last for long. Three weeks after he returned, he went into cardiac arrest. Luckily, Rico was able to keep him alive long enough for the doctors to get there. Apparently, he had a delayed reaction to blunt force trauma. He suffered from internal bleeding, which was stopped, and damage to his organs. He had a few operations and looks scarred, but healthier. Two months ago, his heart almost failed again. This time we almost lost him. His body went into a strange paralysis and he couldn't move for a week.

He's not allowed to do anything strenuous until he's officially off all the medicines they give him. You can be certain that he didn't like that. He screamed and yelled, but finally gave in. Right now, he and Private are doing a few therapy exercises to get Skipper used to slowly moving again. He still gets angry because he can't do much. He has surgery next week to repair some damaged tissue near his heart. Hopefully, he'll be alright. Rico won't like it because it means drawing his blood. Did you know he was the closest in blood type to Skipper?

We're doing better and everyone is supportive, except for the loudest and most annoying lemurs in the world. Even though Skipper is doing better, we're still worried about him. Our otter friend, Marlene, doesn't want to leave him most of the time. Neither do I, really. Private still blames himself whenever something goes wrong. We're taking it one day at a time.

I hope we see you again, good luck at your new zoo!

From,

Kowalski, Skipper, Rico, and Private


End file.
